Apparatus and methods for managing communication system resources

1. An apparatus comprising: an interface for enabling transfer of status information associated with a plurality of distributed maintenance resources in a distributed communication equipment architecture, the maintenance resources comprising configurable maintenance resources for performing maintenance operations to test one or more target communication system resources, the configurable maintenance resources comprising a plurality of switches controllable to operatively couple a test unit, through a maintenance path, to a communication system resource on which a maintenance operation is to be performed; a resource monitor operatively coupled to the interface and operable to determine, based on status information received through the interface, an operational status of each maintenance resource of the plurality of maintenance resources, the operational status comprising a current configuration of the configurable maintenance resources; and an access controller operatively coupled to the resource monitor and operable to identify each switch of the plurality of switches and each other maintenance resource of the plurality of maintenance resources that is required to perform a particular maintenance operation, to determine a current availability status of each required switch and each other required maintenance resource to perform the particular maintenance operation, and to control access to each required switch and each other required maintenance resource based on the determined operational status and availability status, at least one of the interface, the resource monitor, and the access controller being implemented using hardware.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a memory operatively coupled to the resource monitor, wherein the resource monitor is further operable to store in the memory an indication of the determined operational status of each maintenance resource.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the distributed communication equipment architecture comprises multiple communication equipment shelves which exchange communication signals, and wherein the status information is exchanged between the communication equipment shelves in the communication signals.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a resource client interface operatively coupled to the resource monitor, the resource client interface enabling the resource monitor to exchange information with a resource client, the resource client being operable to use one or more maintenance resources of the plurality of maintenance resources to perform a maintenance operation, wherein the resource monitor is operable to receive a maintenance operation request from the resource client through the resource client interface, to determine an operational status of each of the one or more maintenance resources, and to return to the resource client through the resource client interface, in response to the maintenance operation request, an indication of the determined operational status of the one or more maintenance resources to perform the requested maintenance operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a resource client interface operatively coupled to the access controller, the resource client interface enabling the access controller to exchange maintenance operation information with a resource client, the resource client being operable to use one or more maintenance resources of the plurality of maintenance resources to perform a maintenance operation, wherein the access controller is operable to receive a maintenance operation request from the resource client through the resource client interface, and to return to the resource client through the resource client interface a response to the request indicating whether access to use the one or more maintenance resources is granted or denied.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the access controller is further operable, where access to use a maintenance resource is denied, to determine whether an alternate maintenance resource is available, and to control access to use the alternate maintenance resource based on the determined operational status and availability status of the alternate maintenance resource where an alternate maintenance resource is available.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the access controller is further operable to update the availability status of each of the one or more maintenance resources where access to use the one or more maintenance resources is granted.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the access controller is further operable to determine a priority of the request, and to determine whether access to use the one or more maintenance resources should be granted or denied based on the determined operational status and the availability status of the one or more maintenance resources and the determined priority of the request.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the access controller is operable to halt a current maintenance operation for which access to use any of the one or more maintenance resources was previously granted, and to grant access for the resource client to use the one or more maintenance resources in response to the request where the request has a higher priority than the current maintenance operation.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the access controller is further operable to receive from the resource client through the resource client interface an indication that the maintenance operation for which access was granted to use the one or more maintenance resources has completed, and to update the availability status of each of the one or more maintenance resources in response to receiving the indication.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising: a memory, operatively coupled to the access controller, for storing a respective record associated with each of the one or more maintenance resources, each record comprising an indication of the availability status of a respective one of the one or more maintenance resources, wherein the access controller is operable to determine the availability status of each required switch and each other required maintenance resource by accessing the records in the memory.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more target resources comprises a communication line over which communications are supported by the communication equipment.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resource monitor is further operable to update operational status of the plurality of maintenance resources based on status information received through the interface.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the access controller is further operable to halt the particular maintenance operation where access to each required switch and each other required maintenance resource is granted and a change in operational status of any of the required switches and other required maintenance resources impacts the particular maintenance operation.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the distributed communication equipment architecture comprises a plurality of equipment shelves and external connections between the plurality of equipment shelves, the one or more target communication system resources comprises a target communication system resource at each equipment shelf, each equipment shelf comprises a first switch and a second switch connected to the first switch, the first switch being controllable to operatively couple the test unit either to an external connection between the equipment shelf and another equipment shelf of the plurality of equipment shelves, or to the second switch, the second switch being controllable to operatively couple the first switch to the target communication system resource at the equipment shelf.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the external connections and the first switches in the plurality of equipment shelves serially interconnecting the equipment shelves in a daisy chain.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the test unit comprises an external test unit operatively coupled to the first switch of one equipment shelf of the plurality of equipment shelves through a further external connection, the plurality of equipment shelves comprises an equipment shelf that comprises an internal test unit operatively coupled the first switch of the equipment shelf, the first switches and the second switches of the plurality of equipment shelves being controllable to operatively couple the external test unit and the internal test unit to respective target communication system resources of the plurality of target communication system resources.

18. Communication equipment comprising: the apparatus of claim 1 ; and the plurality of maintenance resources.

19. The communication equipment of claim 18 , wherein the communication equipment comprises a plurality of equipment shelves, the plurality of equipment shelves supporting communications on respective communication lines and comprising respective maintenance resources of the plurality of maintenance resource for performing maintenance operations to test the respective communication lines as target resources of the one or more target resources, one equipment shelf of the plurality of equipment shelves comprising the interface, the resource monitor, and the access controller, wherein the interface enables transfer of status information between the resource monitor and each maintenance resource of the one equipment shelf and between the resource monitor and each maintenance resource of each other equipment shelf of the plurality of equipment shelves, and wherein the resource monitor is operable to determine an operational status of each maintenance resource of each equipment shelf of the plurality of equipment shelves.

20. The communication equipment of claim 19 , wherein each equipment shelf of the plurality of equipment shelves comprises an internal maintenance path and interconnections between communication equipment components, each internal maintenance path comprising internal maintenance path segments connected to switches of the plurality of switches, wherein the communication equipment further comprises respective external connections between respective internal maintenance path segments of different equipment shelves of the plurality of equipment shelves, wherein the switches are controllable to operatively couple the test unit to any of the communication lines through a maintenance path comprising at least internal maintenance path segments and multiple switches of the plurality of switches, and wherein the maintenance resources for which an operational status is determined comprise each respective external connection.

21. A machine-implemented method of managing a plurality of distributed maintenance resources in a distributed communication equipment architecture, the maintenance resources comprising configurable maintenance resources for performing maintenance operations to test one or more target communication system resources, the configurable maintenance resources comprising a plurality of switches controllable to operatively couple a test unit, through a maintenance path, to a communication system resource on which a maintenance operation is to be performed, the method comprising: a resource interface receiving status information from the plurality of maintenance resources; a resource monitor determining, based on the status information received through the resource interface, an operational status of each maintenance resource of the plurality of maintenance resources, the operational status comprising a current configuration of the configurable maintenance resources; a resource client interface receiving, from a resource client which is operable to perform a particular maintenance operation, a request for access to use one or more of the maintenance resources in performing the particular maintenance operation; an access controller identifying each switch of the plurality of switches and each other maintenance resource of the plurality of maintenance resources that is required to perform the maintenance operation; the access controller determining a current availability status of each required switch and each other required maintenance resource to perform the particular maintenance operation; and the access controller determining, based on the determined operational status and availability status, whether to grant or deny access to use each required switch and each other required maintenance resource in response to the request, at least one of the resource interface, the resource monitor, the resource client interface and the access controller being implemented using hardware.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: determining a priority of the request, wherein determining whether to grant or deny access to use each required switch and each other required maintenance resource comprises determining whether to grant or deny access to use each required switch and each other required maintenance resource based on the determined operational status and availability status of each required switch and each other required maintenance resource and the determined priority of the request.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising, where a current maintenance operation for which access to use a required switch or other required maintenance resource was previously granted is in progress: determining a priority of the current maintenance operation; and where the request has a higher priority than the current maintenance operation, halting the current maintenance operation; and granting, in response to the request, access to use the required switch or other required maintenance resource for which access was previously granted for the current maintenance operation.

24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising, where access to use each required switch and each other required maintenance resource is granted in response to the request: receiving from the resource client an indication that the particular maintenance operation has completed; and updating the availability status of each required switch and each other required maintenance resource.

25. The method of claim 21 , further comprising, where access to use a required switch or other required maintenance resource is denied: determining whether an alternate maintenance resource is available; and controlling access to the alternate maintenance resource based on the determined operational status and availability status of the alternate maintenance resource where an alternate maintenance resource is available.

26. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: using each required switch and each other required maintenance resource to perform the particular maintenance operation where access to each required switch and each other required maintenance resource is granted.

27. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: updating operational status of the plurality of maintenance resources based on status information received through the resource interface.

28. The method of claim 27 , further comprising: halting the particular maintenance operation where access to each required switch and each other required maintenance resource is granted and a change in operational status of any of the required switches and other required maintenance resources impacts the particular maintenance operation.